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Rodgers frustrated at missing out on Salah

Brendan Rodgers has admitted he is frustrated at Liverpool's lack of success in the transfer market after his club missed out to Chelsea on Mohamed Salah.

The Egyptian had been a key target for Rodgers but completed his move from FC Basel for £11 million last weekend and left the manager still looking for answers to his injury problems.

Liverpool go into Tuesday night's Merseyside derby against Everton at Anfield desperately short of players with Glen Johnson (ankle), Daniel Agger (calf), Mamadou Sakho (hamstring), Jose Enrique and Lucas Leiva (both knee) out, while Joe Allen (hamstring) is a doubt.

But Rodgers insists he will not panic buy. He said: "Of course I wanted to strengthen the team that was already here.

"If we are unable to do that it would be disappointing, but there's nothing you can do about it. I'll work with what I've got. There's no point in looking back on it.

"We'll reflect on it and as I said my sole intention then will be to get everything out of the players I have left. We can identify the players that we want to bring in and hope we get them.

"The club will do everything possible to match the value worth of the player. If they end up going to another club that of course is difficult to take. But you've got to keep looking forward."

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Rodgers' drive for new signings comes partially from his view that Liverpool have a good chance of finishing in the Champions League places this season.

They go into the derby lying fourth in the Premier League and primed to take a place Europe's top club competition for the first time since 2009.

Rodgers felt Salah, a creative winger, would help sustain their push for qualification but has not given up hope of recruiting another player before Friday night's deadline.

"We've wanted to bring in players who could help us and players of quality," said Rodgers. "Let's hope we can do that between now and the end of the window.

"There's nothing imminent. We always felt if we could do it [sign a player in January], it was something we wanted to do.

"We've been hit with a bad run of injuries [but] I'm reluctant to do anything that involves just stockpiling players."

Liverpool's managing director Ian Ayre insisted Liverpool had done all they could to sign Salah without exceeding their budget.

"We haven't been held back from concluding a deal, it would be wrong to say that," he said. "The player decided he didn't want to come to Liverpool.

"We know what the value of the player is and how far we were prepared to go. That is something myself, Brendan and the others involved in the process discuss openly. We won't over-pay. In every transfer window you win some and lose some."

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